Louver means for controlling air flow in refrigerators



Nov. 16, 1948. C, p, DE CARLO, 5R 2,453,703

LoUvER MEANS FoR CONTROLLING AIR FLow IN REFRIGERATORS Filed July 51, 1945 Patented Nov. 16, '1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOUER S FOR CONTROLLING AIR FLOW IN REFRIGERATORS Caesar P. De Carlo, Sr., Ceiba, P. R.

. ApplicationJuly 31, 1945, Serial No. 608,0 76

5 claims. (ci. s2-a9) My invention relates to improvements in household and commercial refrigerators whereby the cold loss incidental to opening the main door of a refrigerator is confined to the particular cooling compartment to which access is had, in-

stead of being shared in by all of the cooling compartments.

In particular, my invention has for its primary v rods as now used, the louvers being so arranged that upon opening the door leading into any compartment to gain access thereto. the opening of the door will close the louvers of the next higher or the next lower shelf so -as to substantially seal off the remainder of the interior of refrigerator and thereby prevent cold loss and entry of warm air into the interior of the refrigerator except as vto the particular open compartment.

Another important object of the invention is to construct the above-,described arrangement in a simple and emcient form which can be incorporated in specially constructed or in existing refrigerators with minimum difficulty and expense, as to some or all of the cooling compartments.

Other important objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and appended drawings showing a merely illustrative embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings: I

Figure iris a front elevation of a refrigerator partly broken away to an arrangement according to the invention therein.

Figure 2 is an enlarged horizontal section taken through the refrigerator above one of the special shelves and looking downwardly. l

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along the line 3-4 .of Figure 2 showing a portion of a shelf in side elevation.

Figures isa similar view taken along the line ll of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the numeral 5 generally designates an illustrative type of refrigerator cabinet including on its front the mechanism access door t and the cooling compartment 2 access door 1 which is opened many times in a normal day and ordinarily thereby allows the escape of c ool air and the ingress of warm air to all of the shelf compartments constituting the interior of the cabinet. Recovery of normal cooling temperature in the cabinet when the door 1 is enclosed puts a heavy burden on the mechanism or other cooling means and adds greatly to the operating expense which detracts from the value of the refrigerator as an eiiicient cooler or freezer of the contents of the compartments. However, this undesirable situation is to a very Substantial extent eliminated by the presentv invention by substituting for at least one and preferably for each ordinary grate-type shelves of the refrigeran tor the special shelf 8, along with a door 8.

, The special shelf 8 consists preferably of a tubular rectangular frame l0 of the proper size and dimensions to fit the interior of the refrigerator, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4 and supportably rests upon suitable brackets il en the walls of the cabinet so as to be removable, if desired, for cleaning purposes. Horizontally pivoted on and between the sides of the frame l0,

in the place of the usual rods, are the louvers l2 `which consist of fiat plates I3 so that adjacent plates will overlap and form an imperforate wall when the louvers are swung upwardly from the dependent open positions shown in Figure 4, so that there can be no substantial transfer or exchange of cold or warm air with respect to the cooling compartments above and/or below the closed shelf, as is the case with an ordinary refrigerator shelf.

The louvers may be attached to'tubes l2' containing a plain pivot in one end and crank pivots i3 in the opposite end, both pivots turning in the corresponding side members of the shelf frame Ill.

'I'he cranks having inwardly turned pins i4 which pivotally traverse a tubular pitman I5 which terminates at its forward end in a rod portion i6 sliding in a bracket I1 depending from the frame I0. An expanding coil spring i8 is eircumposed on the rod portion between the bracket I1 and a stop I9 against the forward tip 2li of the rod portion i8. whereby the louvers of the shelf have a positive urge toward their closed positions from the open positions shown in Figure 3.

The closed position of the louvers of the shelf ismaintained by a closed position of the compart- 'ment door i, whichl on being closed engages the pitman tip 20 and forces the pitman I! rearwardly against the resistance of the spring Il, the louvers of the shelf thereby lbeing kept Open as long as the compartment door is closed, in which 3 condition air can circulate freely through the shelf from adiacent compartments.

The compartment door is suitably hinged at its lower edge adjacent the shelf to which it relates by hinge brackets 22 on the cabinet lust above the next lower shelf or the bottom of the cabinet to swing outwardly and downwardly to open position, and to swing upwardly and inwardly toward closed position, in approaching which the upper part of the door strikes the pitman tip and pushes the pitman rearwardly to open the louvers i2. The doors 9 areal-ranged with' respect to each other and fitted in the cabinet so as to provide the greatest closure practicable for the cooling compartments.

In operation, should the door 9 in the lower part of Figure 3 of the drawings be pulled open to gain access to the contents of the shelf below the shelf shown, the louvers of the shelf shown will close, thereby preventing the loss of cold and the ingress of warm air through the open door from rising through the shelf shown to compartments thereabove, provided the doors 9 of the compartments above are closed. In this way the refrigerated condition of all compartments above that opened is protected and conserved even though the main door 1 is open while access is being had to the particular compartment. Obviously, the

expenditure of time and energy required for the restoration of the temperature and humidity of the compartment which was opened and of any compartment or compartments below it, after the op'ened compartment and the main door have been closed, is only a fraction of that required in an ordinary'refrigerator not equipped according tothe present invention.

Iclaim: Y

1. A refrigerator comprising a cabi et including almain door opening and a main door therefor affording access to the interior ofthe cabinet as a whole, and at least one shelf dividing said interior into compartments above and below the shelf, said shelf comprising horizontally pivoted louvers supported across the interior of the cabinet. means connecting all of the louvers for pivotal movement together toward and away from closed position in which the louvers define a substantially imperforate partition across the interior of the cabinet reaching to said main door opening, operating means for urging the louvers toward closed position,and a compartment door hinged on the cabinet in said main door opening in a position to operatively engage said operating means'as the compartment door is moved from open toward closed position whereby the louvers of the shelf` are opened as the compartment door reaches its closed position.

' 2. In a y refrigerator, a cabinet containing shelves defining cooling compartments between them, a compartment door for each compartment hinged on the cabinet, each of said shelves comprising horizontallyY pivoted louvers, operating means on each shelf connecting its louvers for operation toward and away from closed position se vers thereof.

urging the louvers toward closed position, and means on each compartment door for engaging the operating means of the related shelf as the compartment door is closed Yfor opening the lou- 3. In a 'shelf for enclosed area and the like, the combination, 'which comprises a shelf frame, a plurality of depending spaced louvers thansversely positioned in said frame, means pivotally mounting the ends of the louvers in the frame. arms cxf tending from the ends of said louvers, a rod pivotally attached to the arms of said louvers, and means resiliently urging said rod and arms t0 actuate the vlouvers to horizontal position wherein said louvers substantially close open areas through the shelf.

4. In a shelf for enclosed areas and the like, the

combination, which comprises a shelf frame, a

door associated with one end oi' the frame, means hingedly mounting said door adjacent the end of the frame. aplurality of depending spaced louvers .transversely positioned in said frame.. means pivotally mounting the ends of the louvers-in the frame, arms extending from the ends of said louvers. a rod pivotally attached to the arms of said louvers, and means resiliently urging said rod and arms to actuate the louvers to horizontal positions wherein said louvers substantially close open areas through the shelf. said rod adapted to be held with the arms and louvers in the position of opening theouvers by the door with the door in the closed i positions.

i arms of said louvers, springs on the rods resiliently urging said rods and arms to actuate the louvers to horizontal positions when, released wherein said louvers substantially close open areas through the shelves, doors associated with the ends of the shelf frames, means hingedly mounting said vdnors adjacent the ends of the frames. and means suspending the rods from the frames wherein the ends of the rods are engaged by the doors when the doors are moved to closed positions whereby closing movement of 'the' doors swings the louvers downward to open positions.

- CAESAR P. DE CARLO, Ss.

REFERENCES CITED AThe following references are of record in the ni of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 11,544,403 Hummel June 30, 1925 1,619,741 Lowy Mar. l, 1927 `2,044,011 Nones June 16, 1936 2,051,733 Moore` Aug. 18, 1936 

